Hearty Corn Pudding

My sister, who is an accomplished cook, made this corn pudding as a side side for Thanksgiving. Yes, I am aware that was a long time ago, but really, I am doing the best I can over here. Now, I may have been dubious about this dish if I had heard of it before seeing and tasting it. What? Hot corn pudding? Sounds bizarre. Let me tell you- it is nothing short of heavenly. Although I am not in the business of making guarantees about what kids will eat, you can tell your kids it is corn mac 'n cheese and they may eat it as well. Mine did.

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 5 cups fresh yellow corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears), or frozen
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 4 extra-large eggs
• 1 cup milk (Low-fat is fine.)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup ricotta cheese (Low-fat works fine. I would not try fat-free.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) grated extra-sharp cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 2 to 2.5 quart baking dish (such as Pyrex or Corning Ware). Now, melt the butter in a very large pan. Add the corn and onion and sauté over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Let it cool slightly.

Your children can help with this part. Mine are excellent at whisking! Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add thyme, sugar, salt, and twist or two of pepper. Add the cooked corn mixture and grated cheddar.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with more grated cheddar.

Here’s the tricky part. Place the dish in a much larger pan. (Make sure the larger pan is big enough so you can easily pull the hot pudding pan out of the other pan without burning your hand when it is done.) Now fill the larger pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. DO NOT fill the larger pan first, like I did one time. This is a bad idea, trust me. Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm, and enjoy.

Happy Eating! (P.S. You can add a little ham and it’s enough for a main course).